


A Happy Ending

by Zab43



Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Depression, Drunkenness, Friendship, Grief, M/M, Sad with a Happy Ending, Seven Deadly Sins, Suicidal Thoughts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-11
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:26:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25842061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zab43/pseuds/Zab43
Summary: After Armageddon didn’t happen (Armageddon’t?) the demons try to get back to normal. Including poor Hastur, who has lost his partner and isn’t coping well with his usual quotas….….as implied by the title we’re working towards a happy ending.
Relationships: Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens), Hastur/Ligur (Good Omens)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 24





	A Happy Ending

**Author's Note:**

> Hope this is enjoyable to read.... It really does start off sad but end happy promise!

Hastur was troubled. Actually it was more like ‘in trouble’, although he was definitely troubled as well. The root of his troubles was Ligur, or more accurately the lack of Ligur.

The incident with the holy water still haunted him. It was bad enough to stop him from sleeping. It wasn’t that he needed to sleep, but it was something he and Ligur had enjoyed doing together. They had a secret place up on earth, a cosy hideaway to rest and talk and sometimes to sleep.

Being demons it wasn’t what a human would call a comfy home. Not like Crowley’s ostentatious flat. It was more of a hole in the rock-face. An uninhabited cave halfway up a sheer cliff.

It was lined with things the demons had found comforting - some of their discarded wing-feathers, animal skins, even a few human skins. There was a certain quantity of human clothing that it is best not to speculate about how they acquired, but was probably related to the skins. The nest was lined with the softer bits and, to demon standards, it was cosy. Most importantly it was safe.

There were other things too. There was a small pool of rainwater, replenished from a trickle of water that found its way through the rocks. Hastur had liked the pool, it suited his frog aspect.

There were also some interesting stones, some human idols (worshipping false idols was a sin the two demons had spent some time cultivating), weaponry from various ages, shiny things, sharp things, pretty things. The cave was filled with trinkets collected over a six thousand year lifespan.

After the holy water incident Hastur hadn’t been back. He couldn’t face the memories. Each item in the cave held its own associations. The time he’d burned that human library to the ground represented by a charred scroll depicting a frog that Ligur had somehow pulled from the blaze. A lizard god statue Hastur had stolen for Ligur before the unfortunate worshippers were taken down to Hell.

Memories, all memories, reminders of their time together now abruptly ended. He knew he couldn’t handle going back. 

This wasn’t what he was in trouble for though. That was much simpler. He hadn’t met the sin quota for the third month in a row. Demons were expected to set a bad example, complete a designated quota of sins alongside the temptations and more mundane paperwork.

When he’d been with Ligur it had been easy:  
Pride in an evil deed perfectly completed.  
Greed in accumulating their trophies and stealing from the other demons.  
Wrath….well that was the easiest of all, glorious flame filled anger was a favoured pass-time.  
Lust, Ha! With Ligur around that was no problem.  
Gluttony wasn’t an issue, so long as you counted alcohol. He and Ligur thoroughly enjoyed getting drunk  
Envy was a tricky one, together they had everything Hastur could imagine he’d ever want so why would he envy anyone? He had managed a little petty envy of Dagon and Beelzebub, they had their titles of Lord and he was only Duke. It was enough to satisfy the criteria anyway.  
Sloth was fine too, he and Ligur would curl up together and sleep in their cave for days at a time happy and safe together.

Now things were different, he had no pride in what he did. It was pointless. No Armageddon, the stupid humans were still here and what did it matter whether they went to Heaven or Hell? Let them all go to Heaven instead of cluttering things up down in Hell.

Greed was just boring on your own, what’s the point accumulating loads of things if you have no-one to share them with?

Same with Gluttony, getting drunk on your own wasn’t any fun. Things that had seemed really funny when he and Ligur had been drunk together were now just embarrassing. When he’d fallen down the escalator into Hell, or when Ligur had been sick in Dagon’s filing cabinet it had been hilarious. Now it was just sad. 

Lust….well best not dwell on that. He just didn’t see other demons in the same way, and the humans, even the pretty ones, weren’t a patch on Ligur. He could indulge he supposed, demons can always ‘glamour’ a human into agreeing to sleep with them, but the thought depressed him.

He couldn’t even bring himself to get angry about things. He just felt numb. There wasn’t enough emotion left to get annoyed. He let things that would previously have sent him into a fire-setting rage wash over him. What did it matter?

He should have been able to at least do sloth. Feeling as depressed as he did, sitting around doing nothing should have been easy. Unfortunately, despite the fact he couldn’t find any enjoyment or satisfaction in his work his mind was restless. He couldn’t sit doing nothing so he carried on.

It felt like he was on automatic pilot, his body went about filling his temptations quota and completing the forms, but his brain didn’t engage. Inside his emotions and feelings were sealed up in a box that he was never going to open again. He functioned superficially at the same level he always had, but inside was nothing. A blank void that he couldn’t begin to fill.

Envy was, in fact, the only sin he’d managed to complete. Envy of all the happy humans walking hand in hand in the park. Envy of the traitor Crowley and his bloody Angel feeding the ducks and eating dim sum. Why were they allowed to be happy when he was so miserable? It wasn’t fair.

So, he had failed his quota of sins again and as soon as Beelzebub found out he would be in trouble. He couldn’t muster the energy to care. Maybe a trip to the pits might wake him up. The pain of torments, screaming in agony for a week or two, perhaps it would touch that inner core of himself that he had locked away. At least he would feel something even if it was just pain.

He was musing on this as he walked through the park. He was following Crowley and the angel again. It wasn’t really deliberate, but he found himself doing it more and more often. He waved a disinterested hand at the man sat in the bushes, prompting him to wander past a kissing couple and casually take her bag while they were too absorbed to notice. Serve them right for being happy he though vaguely.

He suddenly barged right into someone. He had no inclination to reduce them to ashes for daring to get in his path. In fact he was about to shuffle round the person and carry on his way when they spoke to him.

“Why are you following me?” A voice asked angrily. “Hell promised to leave me alone Hastur. Bugger off”.

Crowley. Bless it, he’d been spotted. Well, it didn’t matter, he couldn’t get any more in trouble than he was already and he couldn’t even be bothered to be angry. Maybe the other demon could even help him.

Hastur lifted his head abruptly to gaze directly into the other’s eyes. The sudden movement made his arms sway slightly. He obviously wasn’t entirely in control of his corporation, was just letting it move without thinking about it. “Got any more of that holy water?” he asked.

Crowley took a step back. The Duke’s strange mannerisms were well known in Hell, but the disinterested tone of voice, without even the pretence of menace, was new. He was at a bit of a loss. Hastur was stood stock still staring directly into his eyes, like he’d forgotten he was there. The expressionless, unblinking gaze was starting to freak him out.

“No I haven’t and stop staring at me!” he shouted. The other demon didn’t move his head, but pivoted on his heel slightly so he was now gazing intently just over Crowley’s left shoulder. It didn’t help the creeping sensation down his spine. He had to resist the urge to turn and look in the direction Hastur was glaring. Having him looking so intently just behind him was almost worse than having him looking directly at him.

“Look, you’re meant to be leaving me alone, you’ve been following me for weeks now. If you’re going to try anything you’d better think twice. I got an angel with me now”. Crowley gestured towards the angel stood at a discrete distance, trying to pretend he wasn’t with Crowley while he conducted this embarrassing argument in public.

The tall demon further dismayed him by pivoting again in the direction he was pointing. His arms swung loosely by his side with the movement and he ended up staring directly at Aziraphale.

“Can he get me some?” The voice almost held a hopeful note this time.

“What do you want holy water for? You saw it doesn’t affect me”. Despite his reluctance to spend any more time in the other demon’s disturbing company Crowley was curious.

“Saw what it did to Ligur, reckon it’s as good a way to end it as any other, ain’t gonna get Armageddon now are we?” The bleakness in this explanation should have been heart wrenching, however, Crowley was a demon and a demon with something of a grudge against the one who had tried to destroy him. He turned to the angel shrugging, as if to say ‘can you’?

Aziraphale, on the other hand, was an angel, and a generous empathic angel who hates to see others suffer at that.

He walked over and carefully took Hastur’s hand. He didn’t encounter any resistance as he pulled him in for a somewhat awkward hug. Particularly awkward as, apart from leaning towards him at a dangerous angle, the demon did not move. His free arm limply pointed toward the ground and his gaze was unwaveringly rooted to the spot where the angel had previously been standing.

“Now, now, that really isn’t the answer is it? We’ve all had to come to terms with the lack of Armageddon” The angel said in a gentle coaxing way. He waited for a response from the demon.

After a few moments of silence he released him from the embrace and turned to look at him. On being freed Hastur popped back up to an upright position and stood still again, just as if nothing had happened.

The silence was getting awkward now and Aziraphale was about to speak when Hastur unexpectedly started crying. He wasn’t crying like a human would cry: screwing up their face, putting their head in their hands and sobbing. The tears just seemed to flow from his eyes. Disturbingly the tears were of a blood red so it appeared less like he was crying and more like his eyes were bleeding.

Crowley was by his side in a second. He was worried that the humans in the park might see this strange sight and be concerned. “Stop it, stop it now Hastur, you can’t do that here”. He sounded desperate and Aziraphale wasn’t sure whether it was the fear of being seen or genuine distress at what the other demon was doing.

It seemed to work anyway as the tears stopped and the blond wiped his face abruptly with his sleeve before turning on his heel and walking rapidly in the other direction.

“What are you doing? Go after him” the angel squeaked at his companion. Crowley looked startled and was about to argue, but then saw the distress in his angel’s face and decided he would do as he was asked.

Having caught up with the other with some difficulty Crowley stayed by his side, even though this required a half-jog to keep up. He wasn’t sure what to say and glanced back in Aziraphale’s direction only to see the angel waving his arms in an encouraging sort of way.

“Look, you don’t have to…. there has to be something else…. I mean… Bless it will you stand still?!”

The tall demon stopped abruptly and Crowley stumbled on a few steps and had to double back on himself to get level with the other. “You can’t mean it. You’re a Duke of Hell, you don’t hurt yourself, you hurt other people, other demons” he said in an exasperated voice.

Hastur again did that disconcerting head turn so he was again staring directly into the other’s eyes. “No point anymore is there? No point in any of it. Might as well end it. Nothing left here is there?”

Although he was asking questions Crowley got the impression he didn’t expect answers. He had to grab the other’s arm to prevent him walking off again. “Look, let’s talk about this, you need to talk, you can’t just… with holy water… I mean you saw what it did”.

The other answered in a deep voice with just a slight break in it “yes, I saw”. He looked away. He was staring intently over Crowley’s shoulder again. It was making Crowley jittery and he had to reassure himself: there was no-one there, he was just staring into space, there certainly wasn’t someone standing just behind him.

He almost jumped out of his skin when a voice came from just behind him. “Come back to the bookshop, let’s have a drink”. It was only the angel.

Hastur shrugged in a non-committal way, then stood unmoving, still staring directly at the angel. Even Aziraphale was starting to get jittery at this odd habit. Both he and the demon had been on earth long enough that they took blinking for granted. He could feel his eyes starting to water in sympathy.

“Errr, well um, follow me” he offered and began to walk hesitantly in the direction of the nearest exit from the park. He got a few steps then looked back to see Hastur still stood unmoving, facing away from him. He knew that he would still be staring at the spot he had just inhabited. “This way” he said in as jolly a voice as he could muster.

Hastur swung round on one foot, his arms continuing the momentum then swinging back down to his side as he took a slow and deliberate step forwards, then stopped. Aziraphale took this as agreement and turned back to continue walking to the gate. He looked back a couple of times to make sure he was being followed, which he was, at a discrete distance.

“Is he always like this” he hissed at Crowley who just nodded in a resigned way.

When they reached the shop they waited for the other demon to catch up then Aziraphale ushered him through the door. He followed and cannoned straight into the back of the demon who had only taken one step inside. “Go in, go in, make yourself at home”. No reaction. “Take a seat dear boy” he said in a slightly more exasperated tone.

Finally the tall demon moved, taking two long strides into the bookshop, spinning round and collapsing into the chair behind him. He was staring straight ahead, not really focussed on anything. Both the angel and the other demon were just glad that he wasn’t staring at either of them any longer. Being fixed by that blank stare for any length of time was troubling.

“Um, well, err. Maybe a drink?” the angel suggested in a desperate voice looking to Crowley for help. The demon shrugged and went to fetch a bottle of wine and some glasses. Pouring one for the other demon he tried to hand it to him but got no reaction.

“Drink - for you - you can take it” there was a note of exasperation in his voice.

Hastur suddenly shifted his glance to the glass in front of him and took it off the other. He held the glass out in front of himself as if he didn’t know what to do with it.

“Drink - have a drink” the angel said encouragingly.

The wine was tossed off in a single movement and the glass bought back to rest in exactly the same awkward position as before. Presented with an empty glass Crowley unhesitatingly filled it and the demon drank again in the same abrupt way. Shrugging in the angel’s direction he poured a third glass full.

“Thought it might be communion wine” Hastur said gloomily tossing off the third and waiting while he was poured a fourth. “You trying to get me drunk?” he asked finally looking towards his host.

Crowley answered for Aziraphale “I don’t know what he’s trying to do, probably ‘good’ of some sort. I’d just enjoy the wine really, make the best of it”. The other demon nodded and drank, holding his glass out for more.

The angel and his demon exchanged glances. Hastur had drunk an entire bottle of wine in less than a minute. Silently Crowley went to get a second and this time poured three glasses.

“Look, this isn’t like you, you haven’t even tried to kill me, what’s going on?” asked the redhead.

“No point is there? Even if I could kill you I’m not allowed to and it wouldn’t bring him back would it? Ligur won’t come back”. At this point he sighed and the tears started forming again, dripping down his face and onto his already stained coat.

“Ligur? Is that what this is about?” asked Crowley in an amazed tone.

“Who else?” said Hastur bleakly.

“...but didn’t you know, hasn’t anyone told you? They should have, I’m sure they should, but if so why are you here, I mean, I don’t….” he was babbling now as the other demon looked on uncomprehendingly. He looked at Aziraphale then back to Hastur and finally back to the angel. “Well go on, tell him”.

Hastur turned his gaze to the angel finally showing some interest in the conversation “tell me what?”

“Errm, well, thing is, it’s just that, umm Ligur, well, he’s… I can’t believe no-one said anything. I mean Beelzebub knows I’m sure she does” the angel stuttered to a standstill.

The demon was still staring at him, after a few seconds he said “knows what?” in a deep voice, the blood tears still running silently down his face.

“What Aziraphale means is that Ligur’s an angel now. Heaven and Hell have been negotiating for months over him. I’m amazed no-one’s told you”.

Hastur did a double take, looking between the other two before settling on Crowley. “Say that again” he demanded sharply.

“When Adam put things back he put Ligur back too. Only, well I guess it was the best he could do, but he put him back where he started from, back up with the angels”.

Aziraphale chipped in at this point “I can’t believe you didn’t know, I mean they’ve been talking about it for months - it’s like a hostage situation, poor Ligur is desperate to get back to Hell but is stuck up in Heaven somewhere because Gabriel won’t let him fall until he gets some sort of concession out of Hell”.

The wine glass hit the floor shattering into pieces as Hastur tried to digest this bit of information. “You mean…you mean he isn’t…. he’s not… That bastard Gabriel’s got him prisoner?”

Both the others nodded. “….and he wants to fall” they nodded again. At this juncture the meeting was adjourned outside in the street as Hastur was engulfed in flames and Aziraphale panicked over his books.

“Bastards, I’ll bloody well kill them all. Bugger the Antichrist I’ll start Armageddon on my own, storm the bloody pearly gates and discorporate any angel gets in my way. They won’t get away with this” [in a dingy office down in Hell a tick appeared in the ‘wrath’ box on Hastur’s quota sheet].

Crowley nervously approached the incredibly angry demon, putting a hand on his arm. “Beelzebub is doing her best, I think they’re nearly there. I think the idea was like a time-share he spends some time in Heaven and the rest in Hell. No point getting yourself killed, Ligur won’t be very pleased with that will he?” The final plea seemed to get through to the other whose flames simmered down then died altogether.

“He’s mine, my Ligur. No-one else has any right to him. No-one! Hear me? I’m keeping him to myself Heaven can’t have him even for a moment”.

He still looked incredibly angry and fiercely possessive. Neither Crowley nor Aziraphale were in any doubt that once Ligur got down to Hell he wouldn’t be leaving again. “I’m not sharing he’s mine!” shouted the demon, as if one of them had tried to deny him [back in Hells offices ‘greed’ was marked as completed].

“I don’t see how Gabriel can force him back up to Heaven once he’s down with you” the other demon said soothingly. “Ligur doesn’t want it any more than you do, I’m sure he’ll find a way to get round it”.

“Course he will. I taught him every trick in the book. He knows how to get the better of the blessed angels thanks to me, never had a better pupil” Hastur sounded pleased with himself [down in Hell the space for ‘pride’ was filled with a decisive red tick].

“Well, why not come back in out of the street” at this Aziraphale glanced nervously at the human crowds who had stopped to look at the demon. “We can have some more wine to celebrate can’t we?” He offered hopefully.

Hastur nodded enthusiastically “more wine the better - I’m gonna celebrate until I can’t stand up!” [Dagon finally noticed something was up as ‘gluttony’ ticked itself off Hastur’s to-do list]. 

Back inside the bookshop he was as good as his word and finished off another two bottles in record time. As he swayed unsteadily on the chair his eyes glazed slightly. 

“Did I ever tell you ‘bout the time he wiped out the Czar and his family? Lovely it was, bang, bang, bang” at this he mimed someone firing a gun. “Blood all over him, really suited him, took him straight back I did, straight back to….” he trailed off at this point lost in his thoughts. [Although we won’t dwell on those thoughts suffice to say the empty box next to ‘lust’ acquired its tick at this point].

….the next morning Hastur was surprised to wake up, somewhat hungover, in unfamiliar surroundings. The first thing he saw was an angel offering him a bacon sandwich and a cup of coffee, which he took gratefully. The memories of the night before came back and he grinned happily. Ligur was alive and soon they’d be back together.

Crowley watched as the other devoured the sandwich and gulped down scaldingly hot coffee. “So I expect you’ll want to get back down to Hell now? Talk to Beelzebub, find out what’s going on?” He couldn’t keep the hopeful, slightly urgent note from his voice.

The other demon chuckled. He could tell he wasn’t entirely welcome anymore, but a happy glow enveloped him and he had no intention of spoiling it with a trip down to Hell and another row over why he hadn’t met his sin quota.

“Nah, I’m comfortable enough here for now. Can’t be bothered with all that yet. Gonna stay for a bit” He grinned widely daring the other to try and kick him out. “Got anymore wine?” he yelled in Aziraphale’s direction. [much to Dagon’s surprise the last outstanding sin box for ‘sloth’ was filled with a decisive tick]

Back in the bookshop Hastur was unaware that his quota had been fully met for the month. Not that he cared. He was going to get Ligur back and that was all that mattered.

**Author's Note:**

> I can’t resist bringing these two back together how ever I can. It doesn’t seem right to have Hastur without Ligur and surely Adam wouldn’t be cruel enough to leave just that one event as it was when everything else was reset?
> 
> I mean, reincarnating the telesales folk but not a (dis)honest hard-working demon just doesn’t seem fair and I say that as someone who used to work in telesales…. (Oh how I hated that job!)


End file.
